HELCOM to host the 7th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans

The UNEP Regional Seas Programme convenes the 7th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Actions Plans in Helsinki, Finland, from 18th -20th October 2005 at the premises of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM).  The Meeting brings together the Coordinators or their representatives of 17 Regional Seas Programmes representing the Arctic, Baltic, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Eastern Africa, East Asian Seas, Mediterranean, North-East Atlantic, North-East Pacific, North-West Pacific, Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, ROPME Sea Area, South Asian Seas, South-East Pacific, Western and Central Africa and the Wider Caribbean regions; as well as the Regional Directors from the UNEP Regional Offices, several donor agencies, financial experts and partners. 

The Meeting is honoured to have the presence of Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme on 19th October, and is chaired by Dr. Veerle Vandeweerd, Head of the UNEP Regional Seas Programme and Coordinator of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA).   

Following recommendations from the 6th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas, 30th November – 2nd December 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey, the 7th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas is focusing on sustainable financing mechanisms, specifically on mobilizing domestic resources.  Increasing country ownership and ensuring the sustainability of the programmes constitutes one of the six global Regional Seas Strategic Directions agreed and endorsed at the 6th Global Meeting.  The purpose of this Meeting is to discuss on strengthening the long-term sustainability of the Regional Seas Programmes (RSPs) and the sustainability of the implementation of their programmes at national level. The meeting will focus on the three elements of financing demands: Regional Seas Secretariat costs, Regional Programmes and national implementation.   The objective is to provide the Regional Seas Programmes with viable solutions to common financial challenges.  There will be a number of presentations addressing the varied difficulties in implementing sustainable financing programmes, with the aim to enable each individual Regional Seas Programme to suggest possible ways in which their programme could make progress on this issue, with the support of the global Regional Seas partners and other programmes.

Additionally, the Meeting will take the opportunity to address the 2nd Intergovernmental Review Meeting of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA/IGR2) to take place in Beijing, China, 16-20 October 2006. 

Contacts:

Veerle Vandeweerd
Head Regional Seas
Coordinator, GPA Coordination Office
Tel: + 31703114460
Fax: + 31703456648
Email: veerle.rs@unep.nl

Annie Muchai
Associate Liaison Officer
Tel: + 31703114479/60
Fax: + 31703456648
Email: a.muchai@unep.nl